Why is it so perilous to be a person of colour on The Traitors? | Zoe Williams

Niko Omilana and Tameka Empson were first to go among the celebrities – and now Judy and Ross have been under pressure. Clearly, something is going on here It was the first real day of 2026: 2 January. There was already no shortage of mayhem, which is to say “news”, in the world but the papers were united around one talking point: The Traitors has changed format and introduced a secret traitor. Looking at the coverage, you would not have been able to tell which tabloid you were reading; all were united in a single, harmonious, “Wow, can’t wait to see what happens”. Traitors-appreciation will brook no political division, no silos, no echo chambers; it is, genuinely – I’ve scraped all the available data in my head – the only enjoyable thing that no one has ever called “woke”. If the nation were a couple on the rocks, Traitors is the local Italian restaurant we would go to, to remember the good times, when garlic bread was still delicious and things were still funny. To say anything remotely critical about the format would just be needless, churlish – ought to be illegal, actually.Except, guys, one day we’re going to have a conversation about how perilous it is to be a person of colour on this show, and if we’re ever going to do that, sooner is better than later.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...